Anything AI can do, I can do slower…

The joy of making Slow Art

4 weeks after the Starter Pack trend went viral, I sat down to hand-paint my own. It took me 1 hour to sketch. 1 hour to paint. And 30 minutes to edit. The painting took about 3 hours to create over the course of 2 days.

Not 3 seconds to generate with AI.

Painting is a meditative and joyful experience for me. It slows down my mind and body, and I get lost in the flow. I’m now calling this Slow Art. Could we make that a thing? Is it already a thing?

I want to support art that takes time and love to create. That’s made by hands, not machines. By humans who have a unique process that takes hours, not by computers that process and render instantly.

I realized I’ve never shared my full process, so here is my 6-step process for every watercolor painting and commission:

Step 1: Digital mockup in color

I make a messy color mockup on my iPad using Procreate. This allows me to experiment with colors and layout to create a picture of what I want to paint with watercolor.

Step 2: Black & White Outline

I clean up the lines and create a simple outline to print.

Step 3: Transfer to Sketch

Using a lightbox, I trace the outline onto watercolor paper. I use a rubber eraser to lighten the pencil lines.

Step 4: Paint!

This is my favorite step. I use my Kuratake watercolor kit to work on 2 or 3 paints at the same time, rotating between them so that I never have to wait for one to dry. I’ve also started filming the process using a Canvas overhead tripod or a Moft Invisible tripod.

Step 5: Scan

I digitize the art using my Epson V600 scanner. I only got a scanner when I got a book deal last year, and wish I had gotten it sooner. It’s made my life so much easier, and the image quality is amazing.

Step 6: Edit

I use Photoshop to adjust the colors and add text using the font I made of my own handwriting.

Step 7: Make a Video (optional)

Sometimes I make a Reel in CapCut. I’m still trying to figure out my style of video content because it's not my favorite thing, but I’m enjoying this minimalistic style. I want to make videos that are calming to watch and edit.

It’s taken me nearly 3 years to create this system, and I’m really proud of how smooth it's become.

This painting turned out messy and imperfect. This was the first self-portrait I have made since high school, and I love it! Since AI art has become popular, I’ve found myself wanting to lean more into making messy art. To show you it was definitely made by hand.

Let’s continue to celebrate human-made, Slow Art. Comment with some of your favorite artists to give them some love today!

Note: I have complicated feelings about AI because I do use it to help edit my grammar and crunch numbers for creating infographics. But I struggle when I see AI art being generated. I think there is a larger question around how using AI ties into our individual value system. I’d love to hear from other artists how you approach this.